Longitudinal or center joint and method of road widening



R. R; ROBERTSON LONGITUDINAL OR CENTER JOINT AND METHOD OF ROAD WIDENIN G Filed Sept. 28, 1936 Roszm" R. ROBERTSON ji-E- v Jan. 24, 1939.

Patented Jan. 24, 1939 PATENT OFFICE LONGITUDINAL OR CENTER JOINT AND METHOD OF ROAD W'IDENIN G Robert Robertson,

The Translode Joint corporation of Illinois Chicago, 111., assignor to Company,

Chicago, 111., a

Application September 28, 1936, Serial No. 102,907

8 Claims.

The present invention is directed to a. concrete construction and more particularly to a longitudinal or center joint together with means for providing an improved method for road widening whereby a lane of a standard ten-foot width of road may first be laid upon a road subgrade between joint forming mechanisms and side forms, after which an adjacent lane of tenfoot road may be added on either side of the first road lane and anchored thereto to provide a longitudinal or center joint between the two adjacently disposed road lanes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a road construction in which adjacent lanes of the road may be formed separately between improved j-oint-forming mechanisms disposed lon- ,gitudinally on opposite sides of the road lane and including removable means adapted to be removed from the joint-forming mechanisms to allow anchoring members of said joint-forming mechanisms to be deflected outwardly into position permitting the pouring of another adjacent road lane in which the deflected anchoring members are embedded to tie the adjacent road lanes together separated by the joint-forming mechanisms, which are so formed that the use of the ordinary tie rods is eliminated.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a road construction in which longitudinal lanes of the road are adapted to be formed independently of one another by means of longituchnal or center joint units including removable form members which cover one side of the joint units during the pouring of concrete and which furthermore are adapted to be taken away to permit access to be had to anchoring members normally disposed in the plane of the jointforming mechanisms but adapted to be deflected outwardly with the removal of the form members into a position to permit the road to be widened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a road widening and joint mechanism in the form of upper and lower plate sections disposed in substantially the same plane and being integrally connected by means of transverse shields projecting from opposite sides of the plates, with one-half of said shield having spacing boards positioned above and below the same adjacent one side of the joint to space the same from a side form which together with the boards is removable after the pouring of concrete on one side of the joint to permit anchoring members from one of said plates to be deflected out of the plane of said plates to be embedded in an adjacent concrete lane for the formation of a road of any desired width consisting of road lanes formed independently of one another but tied together by the improved longitudinal joint.

A further object of the invention is to provide a road construction formed from a joint mechanism constructed of a single sheet of metal which is so formed to provide upper and lower plates disposed in substantially the same plane and integrally connected with one another by means of a transverse intermediate folded section, said upper and lower plates having anchoring members struck therefrom with the anchoring members of one of said plates deflected outwardly at substantially right angles to the plate to form anchoring means while the anchoring members of the other plate are left temporarily in the plane of said other plate ,to be temporarily protected by spacer boards held in place on one side of the joint mechanism by a side form until it is desired to widen the road by removing the spacing boards and the side form to expose the anchoring members still remaining in the plane of one of said plates so that the anchoring members may be deflected outwardly at substantially right angles to the plane of the plate to be embedded in the concrete of an adjacent road lane.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a road construction joint mechanism in the form of a single sheet of material which is so formed to provide upper and lower plates disposed in substantially the same plane and integrally connected with one another by means of a transverse intermediate folded section, said upper and lower plates of the joint mechanism having certain faces thereof covered with strips of resilient or elastic material such as rubber to prevent concrete when poured on one side of the joint forming mechanism from adhering to the covered surface of one of the plates but permitting anchoring members in said covered plate to be bent out of the plane of said plate to be embedded in an adjacent lane of the concrete road, which road lanes may be poured independently of one another by the temporary use of 4 spacing boards and a side form removably engaged on one side of the joint mechanism.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide an improved method of constructing a road consisting of independently pouring adjacent lanes of the road between spaced longitudinal joints closed on their outer, sides by means of spacing members and side forms which are later removed to permit portions of the joints to be deflected into positions permitting additional lanes of the road to be anchored to opposite sides of the first road lane to produce a widened road wherein the longitudinal lanes are anchored together and separated by means of the longitudinal joints.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of widening a road, said method consisting of pouring concrete between road joint mechanisms having spacing members and side forms associated therewith, so that the spacing members and the side forms on either side of the road lane may be removed to expose the joint mechanisms to allow the same to be used as a medium for tying or securing an adjacent road lane to the first road lane to produce a widened road.

It is an important object of this invention to provide improved longitudinal or center joint mechanisms for the formation of a concrete road lane, said joint mechanisms comprising plate sections disposed in the same plane and connected by a transverse integral section, said plate sections having compressible resilient strips contacting one side thereof to close one side of each plate section and permitting anchoring members struck from the plate sections to be deflected from one side of the plate sections only as desired for binding together a primary road lane with a secondary road lane formed after the primary road lane for widening the original road.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawing. The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section across the road lane of standard width formed between longitudinal joint mechanisms embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical detail section through one side of the road lane to more clearly show the details of the longitudinal joints together with the spacing boards and the side form.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a road joint forming mechanism showing the sides of the joint mechanism with the cushioning strip broken away to show the upper anchoring members disposed in the plane of the upper plate section while the lower anchoring members are bent outwardly from the plane of the lower plate section of the joint mechanism.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the joint forming mechanisms illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view similar to that illustrated in Figure 2 with the spacing boards and the side form removed and illustrating in dotted lines the method whereby the road is widened by means of a side road lane anchored to the original road lane by bending the upper anchoring members outwardly into the dotted line positions illustrated.

As shown on the drawing:

The road joint forming mechanism of this invention, is of the center joint type adapted to be positioned on the side of a standard ten-foot width of a road lane illustrated in Figure 1. The road joint mechanism is used in the beginning of a road construction job in the form of two joint units positioned upon the road sub-grade in parallel relation longitudinally of the road and substantially ten feet apart for the construction of a standard single width of a concrete road lane.

Usually in the construction of the ordinary concrete road the road is substantially 20 feet wide and comprises two road lanes connected by tie rods and extending longitudinally of the road bed and separated at the midde by a center joint which is placed upon the road sub-grade midway between the road side forms. After the placing of the side forms and the center joint the two road lanes are poured simultaneously.

In the present case the ordinary tie rods are eliminated and improved joint forming mechanisms are employed by the use of an improved method of road construction wherein but a single length or lane of concrete road of a standard tenfoot width is poured at one time, after which an additional lane of concrete road of a ten-foot width is adapted to be poured adjacent either side of the first road lane and is anchored or secured to the original lane as hereinafter more fully described. With the improved method of road construction the road lanes may be poured or formed separately allowing additional lanes of the road to be added on the side of the previously formed road lane. The improved center or longitudinal joint forming unit is adapted to be supported longitudinally upon a road subgrade and comprises a top plate I and a lower or bottom plate 2 disposed in substantially the same plane and integrally connected one with the other by means of a middle or intermediate portion which projects transversely through the plane of the upper and lower plates and is formed to provide an upper looped section or bight portion 3 and a lower looped section or bight portion 4 which extend in opposite directions from the plane of the plates l and 2 and are connected by means of a common transverse integral plate 5.

For the purpose of providing future means for joining an additional concrete road lane with the one already formed the top plate I has cut or stamped therein a plurality of openings 5 and 6 toform a plurality of spaced horizontal anchoring blades or wings I and a plurality of vertical anchoring blades or wings 8 which are left sub stantially in the plane of the plate i or may have the connecting ends thereof slightly deflected as at 9 to hold the anchoring blades 7 and 8 slightly disposed adjacent one side of the plate I and substantially parallel thereto.

For the purpose of anchoring the bottom plate 2 to one side of a concrete road strip Iii, said lower plate 2 has struck outwardly therefrom a plurality of spaced vertical anchoring blades H and a plurality of horizontal anchoring blades 12. As clearly illustrated in Figure 4 the lower anchoring blades H and i2 are bent outwardly from the plate 2 at substantially right angles thereto and are embedded in the concrete road strip I0 to hold the inner side of the bottom plate 2 in tight contact with the side of the concrete.

In the preliminary steps of the improved method of constructing a road lane and equipping the same with means for adding additional lanes to the road to widen the same, each of the joint units has temporarily placed on the outer side thereof an upper spacing board l3 which rests upon the looped portion or flange 3 and has the inner face thereof in contact with the anchoring blades 1 and 8 which as clearly illustrated in Figure 2, are temporarily left in their normal positions in planes substantially parallel to the plane of the upper metal plate I. Positioned upon the road subgrade below the transverse connecting plate 5,

forming part of the looped portion or flange 3, is a lower spacing board I4. theinner surface of which contacts the outer surface, of a covering or cushioning strip I5 constructed. of rubber or other suitable resilient and compressible material. The rubber cushioning strip I5 isengaged against the outer face of the lowermetalplate .2 and closes the openings in said plate left by deflecting the anchoring blades I I and I2 from the plate. A side road form I6 is supported on the subgrade in contact with the outer faces of the upper and lower spacing boards I3 and I4 as illustrated in Figure 2. For the purpose of holding the joint forming mechanisms together with the spacing boards in position against the inner surface of the side form I6, the horizontally projecting anchoring blades I2 may be provided with openings for the reception of pins or stakes the lower ends of which may be driven into the road sub-grade.

The improved method forming a part of this invention affords an arrangement whereby a single lane of concrete may be formed after which the road may be widened by adding additional concrete lanes on either or both sides of the previously formed portion of the road. The method consists of first positioning the side forms IB in proper spaced relation upon the road sub-grade for the formation of a single lane of road of standard ten-foot width. With the side forms I6 in position the joint forming units are placed upon the sub-grade as illustrated in Figure 1 adjacent the inner sides of the forms I6 with the spacing plates contacting against the inner faces of the forms. The joint forming units may then be staked in position or otherwise secured in place with the lower anchoring blades II and I2 projecting inwardly. Prior to the pouring of the concrete to provide the standard width of road lane a resilient and compressible cushioning strip I'I formed of rubber or other suitable material, is engaged against the inner face of the top metal plate I to close the openings formed in said plates by the formation of the upper anchoring blades I and 8. The rubber cushioning strips or a parts I1 and I5 are positioned on diagonally opposite sides of the joint plates I and 2.

With the joint forming mechanisms engaged on the road sub-grade on the inner sides of the side forms I6 concrete is poured between the side forms to embed the joint forming mechanisms and the inwardly projecting anchoring blades I I and I2 of the lower plates 2 to form the single width road lane I of the concrete road. After the concrete has cured sufiiciently the side forms I6 together with the spacing boards I3 and I4 are removed from both sides of the concrete strip I0 thereby leaving the outer sides of the upper metal plates I exposed to afford access to the upper anchoring blades I and 8. With the removal of the lower spacing boards I 4 the outer faces of the lower rubber cushioning strips I5 are exposed at the sides of the road lane.

With the single road lane I0 formed as described with the point forming mechanisms secured to the sides of the lane, the road may be widened by the addition of additional lanes of the road on opposite sides of the lane III or only on one side thereof if preferred. The addition of an extra lane of the road requires the employment of the road joint mechanism already secured in one side of the slab or concrete strip I0 and in addition will require a side set-up of another road joint forming,- mechanism with spacing plates and a side form spaced upon the sub-grade at the standard distance from one side of the original lane of concrete I0.

Before pouring the concrete for the additional road lane the upper anchoring blades and 8 of he top plate I are bent outwardly at substantially right angles thereto into the dotted line positions illustrated in Figure 5 after which the concrete for the second road lane is poured between the original lane I0 and the side form mechanisms of the second lane to form an additional lane of concrete road I8 to thereby provide a twenty-foot road. In case a thirty-foot road is desired an additional lane of concrete may be formed on the opposite side of the original lane I ii in the manner hereinbefore described.

It will of course be understood that when an outside lane of a road is added that the joint mechanisms on the outer side of the side lane of the road may be omitted and that only plain Side forms such as I6 may be used for forming the outer sides of the exterior longitudinalside Walls of the completed road.

The arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 is one adaptable for roads of a width greater than the standard twenty-foot concrete road commonly in use. The arrangement of providing the anchoring means on opposite sides of a concrete road lane is for the purpose of pouring the concrete road lanes separately and then adding on the additional lanes to widen the road to three or more widths such as the new wide highways consisting of four and sometimes six or more lanes.

While the drawing illustrates the lower anchoring blades II and I2 bent outwardly to be embedded in the road slab I0 and the upper anchoring blades I and 8 are deflected to be embedded in the added road lane I8, it will of course be understood that the arrangement may be reversed allowing the lower and upper anchoring blades to be bent outwardly to be respectively embedded in the added lane I8 and in the original lane I 0. With such an arrangement the location of the cushioning strips I5 and i1 is also changed. If desired the lower anchoringblades I I and I2 may be left in the plane of the lower plate 2 and the upper blades 1 and 8 may be bent out of the upper plate I to serve as the primary anchoring means.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A longitudinal or center joint forming mechanism for joining standard width concrete road lanes, said joint-forming mechanism comprising upper and lower plate sections disposed in substantially the same plane and integrally connected to one another by a transverse shield comprising looped sections projecting in opposite directions and connected by a common plate projecting through the planes of the upper and lower plates and separating the same, anchoring members formed in the upper plate and normally left in substantially the plane of said upper plate, lower anchoring members struck outwardly from the lower plate for embedding in a concrete road lane, cushioning strips positioned on diagonally opposite sides of the joint forming mechanism adjacent the upper and lower plates, a road form positioned to one side of the joint forming mechanism and in contact with one of the looped sec tions of the transverse shield, and spacing members between the side form and the joint forming mechanism.

2. A road joint widening mechanism comprising in combination a road joint unit, anchoring means partially struck from and formed in the upper and lower portions thereof, compressible pads contacting diagonally opposite surfaces of the joint forming unit and covering openings therein, a side form positioned to one side of the joint forming unit, and spacing boards removably engaged between the joint forming unit and the side form and adapted to be removed from the joint forming unit after the side form is removed to uncover the anchoring means in the upper portion of the road joint unit.

3. In a concrete road widening mechanism the combination with a center joint mechanism, of anchoring means struck therefrom having openings therein, resilient pads positioned on diagonally opposite sides of the center joint mechanism to cover the openings therein, a side form positioned to one side of the center joint mechanism, and spacing boards removably engaged between the side form and the center joint mechanism to be removed from the center joint mechanism after the removal of the side form to afford access to certain of the anchoring means to permit positioning of the same for embedding in an additional concrete road lane towiden the road.

4. A concrete road widener and joint including in combination a joint strip, compressible pads engaged against diagonally opposite surfaces of the joint strip, anchoring members formed from the joint strip with a plurality of said anchoring members projecting from one side of the joint strip while the remaining anchoring members are left disposed within the plane of the joint strip, a side form positioned to one side of the joint strip, and spacing members positioned between the joint strip and the side form and removable with the side form to permit the anchoring members left in the plane of the side form to be bent outwardly into anchoring positions for securing an additional lane of the concrete road to the original road to widen the same 5. A concrete road widening mechanism comprising in combination a joint strip having an integral transverse shield portion and anchoring members in the strip above and below the shield portion, a side form positioned to one side thereof and spacing members between the joint strip and the side form and separated by said shield portion, one of said spacing members covering the anchoring members above the shield portion of the joint strip.

6. A concrete road widening mechanism comprising in combination a joint strip having the intermediate portion thereof formed to project through the plane of the joint strip, compressible pads engaged on diagonally opposite surfaces of the joint strip, anchoring members projecting outwardly from one side of the joint strip and additional anchoring members left in the plane of the joint strip in position to be bent outwardly from the joint strip into anchoring position to tie an additional lane of concrete to the side of the road to widen the same.

'7. A concrete road widening mechanism including in combination a concrete road lane, a joint strip secured to one side thereof and including a middle portion projecting from opposite sides thereof With the projecting portion on one side embedded in the concrete lane, anchor members struck from the joint strip and embedded in the concrete lane to hold the joint strip secured to the side of the concrete lane, anchoring means formed from the joint strip and temporarily left therein, and removable form members positioned against the outer side of the joint strip and removable therefrom when it is desired to widen the concrete road by defleeting the anchoring means out of the plane of the joint strip and embedding the anchoring means and the middle portion of the joint strip in an additional concrete road lane poured to the side of the original concrete road lane.

8. A center joint mechanism for connecting adjacent concrete road lanes which are formed at different times, said center joint mechanism comprising a metal plate having a middle portion thereof formed to provide a double looped shield projecting transversely through the plane of the plate, pads secured against diagonally opposite surfaces of the plate on opposite sides of the double looped shield, anchoring members projecting from one side of the plate and embedded in the concrete lane which is formed, and additional anchoring means formed in the plate on the opposite side of the double looped shield and adapted to be bent out of the plate in a direction opposite from the direction of projection of the first-mentioned anchoring members to be embedded in the concrete forming the second concrete road lane to anchor the same to the first formed concrete road lane.

ROBERT R. ROBERTSON. 

